


Control

by RestlessCancer



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Abuse, Anti-human agenda, Comfort, Echo Flowers, Fluff, Gender Fluid Frisk, Hurt, It's Undertale expect the best and worst, Love, Mafia Sans, Near Death Experiences, Resets, Sans Needs A Hug, Sans Remembers Resets, Sans is a scientist, Violence, bullshit romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-31
Updated: 2016-11-15
Packaged: 2018-08-28 00:35:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,028
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8423851
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RestlessCancer/pseuds/RestlessCancer
Summary: Hailey Frisk ran away from her abusive home at 14. She ran all the way to the top of Mt. Ebott and fell in, thinking that it might be a better place.What she wasn't expecting was for the stories about monsters living in the mountain to be true. What's more, she never expected to be taken prisoner by mobsters assuming the title 'Underquell,' so dubbed for their lack of tolerance for a lot of things.A  lot of this is inspired by various fan created spin offs of the original game and the song "Control" by Halsey.





	1. Run Away

_"They send me away to find them a fortune_  
_A chest filled with diamonds and gold_  
_The house was awake_  
_With shadows and monsters_  
_The hallways they echoed and groaned_

  _I sat alone, in bed 'til the morning_

_I'm crying, "They're coming for me"_

_And I tried to hold these secrets inside me_  
_My mind's like a deadly disease"_

_ _

Hailey Frisk had enough. She was so done with everything. So she pulled out her biggest backpack, shoved some clothes, snacks, cellphone and a blanket inside. She threw on a pair of well-loved blue jean capris, a tank top, a large striped sweater that hung off her shoulders, a pair of dark gray socks with an image of a cloud with a rainbow and the phrase 'so over it' and a pair of red converse tennis shoes. Naturally she took her ring from her best friend Andrew, her choker with its heart locket firmly attached, and some of her other rings. After she was sure her parents were otherwise occupied (screaming at each other again), she snuck out of her bedroom window and took off. She wasn't sure where she was going yet, but it was going to be far away from this awful city and its horrible inhabitants (with the exception of her friend Andrew). As she reaches the trail through the upcoming forest, her phone buzzes.

'Good luck, Hun. I hope you find somewhere better...' Andrew texted her. 'txt me where you end up, I might join you <3'

She smiled half heartedly and txt him back, 'Thnx. I hope I do. I'll let you know when I do I'll miss you.'

With that done, she pushed on into the forest. She ended up walking well into the morning. Thankfully she had been somewhat smart about it and waited for the summer to run away. Around mid-morning she curled up under a tree at the base of a seemingly familiar mountain. By the time she awoke, the sun was high in the sky, suggesting early afternoon. She pulled out a granola bar and ate before resuming her trek, following the path up the sloping landscape. It wasn't a terribly tall mountain, so only took her another day and a half to reach the top. As she looked around, she spotted a hole in the ground. Hailey looked into it and before she could right herself, she leaned too far forward and found herself tumbling into the mountain. The blood rushing faster and faster through her body with all the adrenaline and fear overwhelmed her and she blacked out. It didn't seem like long before she awoke on her stomach with her bag still firmly on her back upon a bed of golden buttercups. They smelled so sweet it made her stomach churn. She got to her feet and dusted herself off. As she looked around she saw a way to go forward, but no way back.

"Why would I want to go back to hell?" She mutters under her breath, sighing and walking forward.

She comes upon a golden flower with a face and pauses, a skeptical look on her face.

"Are you alive or something?" Hailey questions, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Howdy! I'm Flowey! Flowey the flower." It greeted. "What's your name?"

"Hailey Frisk. Why?" Hailey responded.

"Just being friendly." It explained. "Now I can tell your not from around here so I'll explain how things work."

Hailey listens to the explanations but she doesn't buy any of it for a single second. Something about this flower screams bullshit. Her mind starts to wander back to her so called parents, how they were made of bullshit too. They made her work like she was Cinderella because they couldn't be bothered to get their shit together. They never cared about her unless it was to use her. No one other than Andrew cared about her back there. Hailey snaps back to attention when Flowey starts sending what she heard him call "little white friendliness pellets."

"Hey!" Hailey shouts in surprise, managing to dodge all but three and feeling the sting. "How the hell are those 'friendliness pellets' when they look like bullets and feel like needles?!"

"They're not friendliness pellets, you idiot!" Flowey laughs, his expression demonic. "They're bullets! In this world, it's kill or be killed!"

"Screw you too, you overgrown weed!" Hailey shouts, going to back away until she realizes she's encircled.

Suddenly a fireball comes out of nowhere and knocks Flowey in the direction of the golden flowerbed. As Hailey looks towards the source, she finds a goat person standing there in some sort dress with an unfamiliar symbol on it. Hailey backs away as it starts coming towards her.

"What a terrible creature! Torturing such a poor, innocent youth!" It says with a very feminine voice. "Do not be afraid, my child. My name is Toriel, caretaker of the Ruins."

"Don't be afraid?" Hailey questions, her arms wrapped around her body as she stands there in pain. "I just got my ass handed to me by a freaking flower! And you shoot fireballs! How am I not supposed to be afraid?! What's more, I'm not your child. I'm no one's anything."

Toriel looks shocked at the girl's words. She doesn't say anything for a moment as she collects herself.

"My apologies, I only meant to comfort you, but I see that you're much older than some of the others who came before you." Toriel apologizes. "May I at least heal you?" 

"Hold on, others?" Hailey questions. "You mean other people have come through here?"

"Children usually younger than you... yes..." Toriel answers, looking rather defeated.

"They didn't make it, did they?" 

"No. After leaving the ruins, they were... taken... by the King of all Monsters." Toriel explains. "I only wish to protect you from the same fate, so please, let me heal you."

"I guess... I mean, it does hurt..." Hailey reluctantly agrees.

"Come with me, I'll take you to my home at the end of the ruins where I can properly attend your wounds." Toriel instructs.

Hailey follows her through a door with the same symbol that appears on her dress. They walk through winding paths, the girl watching as the goat woman solves various puzzles. At one point they come across a training dummy. Toriel has her engage with it, giving no direction as to what is the correct way to go about things, so Hailey talks to it as if it were Andrew.

"Hey... Um... How are things? It's been kinda lonely for me... I didn't know what I was walking into when I climbed this mountain. I thought Mt. Ebott was a fairytale... I guess I was wrong." Hailey tells it in a quiet voice. "I'm a little uncomfortable because I ignored the stories in school so I don't know what to expect or who's okay to trust. Honestly, I'm not even sure if I'm safe with this goat lady, but I don't really have a choice, especially if she's the only one around who can heal me..."

"I think that'll do, dear." Toriel tells her. "You never did tell me your name..."

"My name's Hailey... Hailey Frisk." She answers, following her on through the ruins.

"I think you'll do well down here, Hailey, but I'd like to tell you  more about things down here  if you'll let me." Toriel says, leading her through a platform covered in spikes.

"I'd appreciate that." Hailey assures her.

"Then that's what we shall do." Toriel states with a nod as they continue on.

It takes awhile, but finally they make it to a little, beat up cottage. They enter and Hailey notes it looks almost as normal as Andrew's parent's house. Perhaps Monsters aren't that different from humans... They walk down a hallway and enter the very last room. Inside looks almost like a cult's ritual room. There's random gemstones, geodes, bones, and herbs everywhere, scattered among a bunch of candles. There's a padded table in the center. Toriel gestures to it and helps Hailey take her backpack off and lie down on the table. Hailey didn't realize how fatigued she is before until she starts dozing on the table. Toriel has been so careful not to push any boundaries, she supposes the girl is finally relaxed enough to do such a thing.

It's a shame the girl has come today of all days... 


	2. New 'Management'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check out an image of Hailey's appearance on my deviantart if you like: http://deadno0bslizzy.deviantart.com/art/Hailey-Frisk-Undertale-spin-off-643342717

_"Are you deranged like me?_  
_Are you strange like me?_  
_Lighting matches just to swallow up the flame like me?_  
_Do you call yourself a fucking hurricane like me?_  
_Pointing fingers cause you'll never take the blame like me?_

 _And all the people say_  
_You can't wake up, this is not a dream_  
_You're part of a machine, you are not a human being_  
_With your face all made up, living on a screen_  
_Low on self esteem, so you run on gasoline_

 _I think there's a flaw in my code_  
_These voices won't leave me alone_  
_Well my heart is gold and my hands are cold" - Halsey, "Gasoline"_

 

As Hailey awakens, she finds that she's not in the clothes she was before. She's wearing body-hugging yet flowing, sparkling ombre blue (A/N: think of echo flowers) Grecian princess dress with only strap over her left shoulder. Her choker and jewelry are still in place, but she's wearing some sort of make up, which she can only tell by the weight of it since she doesn't normally wear the stuff. She looks closer at herself, seeing that her wrists have been handcuffed and shackled together. As she awkwardly sits up on the table, she finds that even her shoes have been changed into black strappy sandals. As she looks around the room, she's sees her bag is missing and no sign of her other clothes. Turning her head she can feel the bobby pins, hair clips and ties as they tug on her hair to keep it where it was put. When she finds a mirror, she looks over her appearance. Her hair is in fact pinned into a volumized bun with a braid wrapping around her head. She's wearing a black cat-eye eyeliner, very faint blush, and a blackberry colored lip gloss that shimmers in the candlelight. As she looks back down at her gown and chains, her eyes water and lip trembles. Hailey ran away to Mt. Ebott to be free, not to be used a slave. Before she can collect herself, the door opens and closes as Toriel comes in.

"So you're awake..." She points out the obvious with remorse. "I'd say I'm glad, but you came on the wrong day..."

"What do you mean?" Hailey questions, the tears spilling over her cheeks.

"Once every other week, he comes. He searches the ruins and takes anything of use that has fallen down, whether it's a book..." Toriel hesitates, approaching her and adjusting one of the sparkling pins in her hair.

"Or a living being?!" Hailey presses, disgusted. "Who the hell is he?"

"He's one of the Skeleton Brothers. He's the oldest and in charge of the group known as the Underquell. He's also the Judge, capable of discerning your every sin and determining with all detachment possible your fate- whether it's to live free among the Monsters down here or to dies a horrible, prolonged death where you may be forced to fight until your soul shatters once and for all." Toriel explains, teasing the train of fabric cascading from Hailey's left shoulder strap. "In addition to all that, he is the Royal Scientist to King Asgore Dreemurr, in charge of finding a way to break the barrier. Some say that all the chemicals, electric shocks, and magic have left him a bit disarrayed. If you ask me, it's done nothing but make him better at his jobs. With that being said, I support nothing of any of his work. We were doing just fine down here until King Dreemurr ignored his Queen and essentially sentenced their family, and people, to death by human betrayal."

"Sounds like you're pretty bitter yourself." Hailey sniffles, a bit relieved that she's not the only one suffering.

"I was his Queen." Toriel states, bitterness radiating from as she tugs a bit too hard on a pin in the girl's hair before taking a deep breath. "My apologies, Hailey, dear, but as you said, I am quite bitter. I broke things off with the King years ago and took to the ruins to be as far from his royal stupidity as possible. Ever since then, I have commanded my own group known as the Delta Runes. We stand for the long, peaceful history of our kind and only sink to the level of the Underquell when they threaten us or our values. Unfortunately, being of a more peacefully inclined nature, we've lost more than we've gained. We can only hope that one day, the surface angel will descend upon us, and stop the bloodshed among our kind before it's too late. It would be a miracle and an honor to be free again, but at this rate we'll settle for peace among the Under Realm and staying here forever."

"I'm sorry, Ms. Toriel. I'm sorry they've been ruining things for you and everyone down here. Things aren't much better on the surface, to tell you the truth." Hailey responds with a slow shaky breath. "It seems like there's no good place left in the world..."

Toriel is somewhat shocked by the girl's words and by the change of atmosphere they cause. She can feel the girl's soul, her determination, faltering as if it were a tangible thing. She turns Hailey around and tilts the girl's head up to look her in the eye.

"Dear girl, I know nothing of the surface these days, but there's only a lack of good and hope if you encourage the end of them. The more ill you speak of things, no matter how bleak they really are, the more likely that is to be the fate of yourself and everyone and everything around you. You do not realize this, but you, your soul, is stronger than all the souls of all the Monsters in this bloody place put together. If you have no hope, no faith, no anything, then we don't either." Toriel enlightens her. "No matter how low those on the surface, or even down here, treat you, remember that you're stronger than all of them combined. You'll do well to remember the things I tell you."

"But why are you telling me?" Hailey presses, confused by the goat woman's faith in her.

"Because, though your soul falters now, I sense that you may be the one that can make a difference in our world." Toriel confesses with a warm smile. "If you ever need help, give me a call. I adapted your cell so that it will work down here as well. I saved my number in it. I'm more useful than you think."

"What does that even mean?" Hailey asks. "And if you're so useful, why aren't you stopping him from taking me?"

Toriel's smiles dims to a sadder state as she replies, "Because you need to go with him."

"Why? He wants me for a slave if I'm allowed to even live!" 

"It is said that years and years ago, he was human, like you, but he loved us Monsters. Both he and his brother were orphaned when the war between our kind and yours occurred. His parents were on our side, his father was our Royal Scientist at the time. His father's job was to study the differences between humans and Monsters. With that he focused on the nature of the souls and what they were capable of. In the process, he discovered that a human could become a Monster, though he only discovered how to make a human into a skeleton monster. He had originally used a cadaver for this discovery, but as the war grew near, the humans used his discovery against him. They turned him and his family into skeleton monsters, which was a very painful transformation. It's a wonder that He and his brother survived with how young they were.

"Fortunately, they all survived the change but that didn't mean anything for them. They were Monster sympathizers turned into Monsters for having compassion, sympathy and empathy. His father was worse for wear, having lost most of his sanity, becoming fascinated with experimentation and science. As the war began, his mother was enlisted to fight against the humans- she was in charge of the entire Monster military force, the Royal Guard. We were clearly defeated, pushed underground and sealed inside. His father swore to get us out and strengthen all Monster souls to compete with that of humans in order to give Monsters a real chance at life on the surface." Toriel began, sitting on the padded table's edge. "One day, his father disappeared when an experiment went wrong. The brothers were orphans. The King and I watched over them from afar. We were caring for our son. Years later, a child, Aaron Chara, fell into the mountain. Chara was kind and wonderful so we took him in as our own. But one day, he and our son, Asriel, were playing and daring each other when Asriel dared him to eat a buttercup- not realizing it was poisonous to humans. Chara survived, but his mind was demented. He had violent outbursts and then, one day, he died. His soul didn't agree with his warped mind, so it left him. He killed so many... We recovered, but it was a long, painful process. Asriel wanted to take Chara back to the surface- we begged him not to, but he absorbed Chara's soul and went anyway. The humans slaughtered our boy, assuming the worst. The King grew angry and wanted revenge. I left him. I didn't want my baby dead, but I didn't see how violence would help. From then on, I tried to protect the children that came through... The first three ended in blood... There's been six total so far... He had grown and taken up his positions for the King..."

"What happened after the third?" Hailey prompts, sitting down next to the former queen.

"Wouldn't you believe it? The fourth was a young, spirited girl. She was a dancer and guitar player. She had been travelling and studying nature to get inspiration for her next recital. She did all forms of dance, though interpretive and ballet were her favorites. Her guitar skills were unparalleled... She played the prettiest songs... She was so innocent, so kind... She never hurt anyone. Her name was Hannah. When he met her, he nearly killed her. But he held back and waited for her judgment. When the time came, he saw how pure she was and how she saw the Monsters as beautiful, wondrous creatures to be awed at and worshiped. He instantly fell in love with her. She would dance for him and sing and play guitar for him. Such sweet ballads and graceful moves... He was going to propose to Hannah but before he could, she met a tragic end. She couldn't swim..." Toriel adds, giving Hailey a wistful smile. "After Hannah, he swore to never give another human a chance to get near him again. The dress you're wearing used to be Hannah's. I'm hoping that if he sees you all dolled up, that he will be reminded of her and that not all humans are bad... You'll learn to love him back. He's secretly a wonderful young man who's received the short end of the stick one too many times. Please give him a chance, but do not force it or you may make things worse..."

Suddenly, a loud, violent knock comes from the door, causing it to shake and resound with a sound like thunder. 

"Toriel, I know you have it in there. It's time to hand it over. I've got things to do." A gruff, deep voice calls with a hint of irritation. 

The voice has a roughness to it, almost like a life-long smoker's, but it was mellow and even, as if nothing could truly rattle the owner.

"Well, Hailey, sweet girl... It's time for you to shine." Toriel encourages, gently caressing the girl's cheek as she chuckles. "You look as somber as a porcelain marionette left in the rain. But maybe that'll convince him to show you some mercy."

"Get out here, Dreemurr." the voice calls, banging on the door once more.

Toriel rises and ushers Hailey to the door. The former queen sets her face with a steely, irritated expression and opens the door.

"Don't get your bones rattled, Skeleton." She snaps. "These things take time."

"Your instructions were to shackle her, not give her a comfy makeover, Dreemurr." He bites, some sort of rolled up blunt in his mouth made of some unknown substance judging by the smell.

Hailey, her face set in a lifeless, effortless frown of seemingly eternal sadness, looks over the gang leader before her. He's wearing a black suit without the jacket, the sleeves rolled up, a blue tie tucked under the vest and slip on dress shoes. His bony arms are crossed over his chest as he frowns down upon her. He's a bit wider than average... a bit... well, big-boned. He wouldn't have been overweight as a human but a little over average as evidenced by his build. His height is that of the average human male. 

_He'd be attractive... for a skeleton... if he weren't such an asshole..._ Hailey thought to herself as his henchman came up to them with her bag.

"Wowie, Sans, the human is quite fetching." the henchman remarks.

He's significantly taller than the one he called Sans and built thin as matchstick. He's dressed similarly, but his button down shirt is short sleeve. He seems much more bubbly than his brother.

"It's just a fucking human, Pap." Sans spits, taking a long pull off the weirdly sweet smelling blunt.

"He-" Hailey goes to protest before Toriel puts a soft hand over her mouth and Sans fixes her with a death glare.

Hailey huffs out a sigh of frustration and resorts back to her moping.

"Does it have a name, Ms. Toriel?" 'Pap' asks, not really paying much mind to his brother.

"Her name is Hailey, Hailey Frisk." Toriel answers, taking her hand away from the girl's face. "She won't be of any use for studying her soul or determination. In case you can't tell, she's quite crushed by her situation. No one ever wants to be chained and abused." 

"Tough shit, ya entitled little priss." Sans remarks, getting up in her face and forcing a huge puff of smoke into it.

She coughs and gags, turning her face away and refusing to meet his gaze.

"That's what I thought." Sans says, turning away and heading for the door. "Grab her and let's get the hell outta here."

"Goodbye, my darling. Best of luck." Toriel whispers, hugging her. "Stay determined, dear Hailey. You will change him. I know it."

"Come along, Human Hailey." 'Pap' encourages, clipping a lead onto her shackles. 

Hailey keeps her head down, knowing the walk of shame all too well, no matter the reason for it. After exiting the small house, she's shocked by the electric sensation that pulsates through her. She squeezes her eyes shut, screaming in pain. By the time she can will her eyes open again, she's freezing and laying on her side in the snow. As she catches a glimpse of Sans, she swears she sees a hint of something soft in his expression- pity, maybe? Then it's back to the tough guy act as he relights the blunt with a blue flame that ignites from his fingertip as his eye glows the same iridescent blue.

"Get up. We're not home yet." Sans commands, grinning malevolently.  


	3. The Underquell's Home Base

_"I paced around for hours, on empty_   
_I jumped at the slightest of sounds_   
_And I couldn't stand the person inside me_   
_I turned all the mirrors around_

_I'm bigger than my body_   
_I'm colder than this home_   
_I'm meaner than my demons_   
_I'm bigger than these bones_

_And all the kids cried out,_   
_"Please stop, you're scaring me"_   
_I can't help this awful energy_   
_Goddamn right, you should be scared of me_   
_Who is in control?" - Halsey, "Control"_

In reality, the walk isn't as far as Sans made out to seem. It only feels like forever because Hailey swears she's two seconds away from getting frostbite. She looks around at the content townspeople, watching their faces contort in terror at her. She glares back at them, angered by their lack of help when she's clearly a prisoner of some mob boss. She can't feel anything but pain in her hands and feet from the biting cold. Her lips feel foreign to her. She imagines that they're probably turning blue under the black tinted lip gloss. 

"Mama, she scares me!" Hailey hears a kid cry to their parent.

"It's okay, baby," The parent soothes. "Mr. Sans and Mr. Papyrus have her restrained. She can't get us."

Hailey feels her hot tears spilling onto her cheeks and attempting to freeze on their way down. She lowers her head and sniffles, fighting the impending meltdown until they do whatever they plan to with her. After a few more minutes of quietly crying to herself and shaking like a leaf in a tornado, Hailey is dragged into a quaint little two bedroom home. It looks fairly average for being the home of the leaders of a notorious gang with such an intimidating title as the "Underquell." Sans flops on a worn looking couch and takes another puff of the peculiar blunt. Hailey is still shaking as Papyrus drops her bag on the floor next to the front door and turns to take the lead off her shackles.

"Brother, Human Hailey is shaking..." Papyrus alerts him.

"Yeah? What of it?" Sans questions, weary of where his brother is going with this.

"She needs warmth or she may catch a cold or worse." Papyrus points out.

"She's in a warm house now. She'll get over it." Sans dismisses, kicking his feet up on the coffee table in front of him.

"I'm getting her a blanket, Sans, since you clearly aren't clear headed enough to put two and two together." 

Papyrus shifts through her stuff and pulls out the galaxy patterned fleece and polyester blend blanket. He wraps it, almost affectionately, around her shoulders and she gratefully clutches it around her with her shackled hands as she drops to her knees shaking. Even her parents never treated her this bad... She almost misses them... At least they never handcuffed her or made her nearly freeze to death... And Andrew... Oh god, does she miss him... He would've stripped to his boxers and offered her all the clothes he took off if he thought that would warm her up, even if he had to suffer through the cold... Hailey's not sure when she Papyrus left, but now she's alone with Sans. She figures now's probably the best time to just cry her heart out if she's going to. Hailey's confident that Sans will just ignore her the whole time. So, she lets herself go back to thinking about how much better things were on the surface. The way Andrew was always just one broken text away from climbing in her bedroom window and staying with her until she could calm herself and stop the horrible thoughts she would have... How he would talk her through her meltdowns and stop her from doing something crazy, like trying to slit her wrists or poison her parents... The way her mom used to adore her as a child, her little 'mini-me,' and get them matching outfits that they both liked. How her dad used to treat her as the most special thing in the universe and would do anything to put a smile on her face when she was little...

God how she misses all of that...

With all the memories fueling her, she finally breaks all the way down, sobbing brokenly until she can't hardly breathe and her body is shaking worse than before. She yanks at her wrists, trying to reach head to rip the pins and ties out of her hair but not registering that the chains between the cuffs are caught under her knees and limiting her range of motion. Before she can realize it, the cuffs are biting into her wrists, a bit rough and worn, making them bleed an angry red. Hailey is shocked out of her meltdown when Sans suddenly appears in front of her, staring her down with his left eye glowing that eerie blue that surrounds her until she can't move.

"Quit before you hurt yourself," Sans urges her, almost seeming to care.

"Why the hell do you care?!' Hailey demands, still crying. "I'm nothing to no one. I left the only person who gives a fuck about me and now I'll never see him again because you're going to fucking murder me!"

Suddenly, Hailey is no longer enveloped by the ominous blue energy as Sans sits there, quite shocked. As he starts to recover, he composes himself and stares her down, more of a suspicious and questioning look on his bony face.

"Who told you that?" Sans demands.

Now it's Hailey's turn to be shocked.

"That goat lady... She warned me... about you." Hailey sniffles, still shaking but no longer sure why.

Sans narrows his gaze at her and snaps his fingers. When the sound stops, she realizes the shackles are off. As she looks at her wrists, she remembers the last time she dared to mar them and how Andrew reacted... He was heartbroken...

"Oh god... I'm sorry... I'm... I-I'm so sorry!" Hailey cries, thinking only of Andrew. 

She hasn't even realized the words have escaped her mouth as she stares at her wrists. She jumps a bit when Sans's bony hands are over her hands, starting to wrap her wounds with surprising gentleness.

"I'm not surprised you're sorry, princess." Sans remarks with heavy derision as he says the nickname. "You really ripped yourself a new one."

'Why are you doing this..." Hailey breathes, sniffling back her snot and tears as she steadies herself.

"Doin' what?" Sans asks, using medical tape to hold the material in place on her left wrist.

"Bandaging me..." Hailey answers. "What do you care if I hurt?"

"Look, I may be an ass, but I'm not that cruel." Sans sighs, starting on her other wrist. "Besides, you're just another being getting ready for judgment at this point. I can't neglect ya until I decide your fate objectively- no prejudice involved."

"Thank you..." Hailey sniffles in whisper.

"You're welcome." Sans responds, not looking up as he finishes bandaging her wrist and taping the wrapping in place. "Now, because you fucked up your wrists, I'm gonna try the whole being nice thing and leave the cuffs off, but if you make one wrong move, they're going right back on regardless of whether those scrapes have healed or not. You got it?"

"Mmhmm..." Hailey agrees, pulling the blanket tighter around herself.

Sans sighs heavily and grabs her bag. He offers her a skeletal hand and she hesitantly takes it, getting to her feet. She takes him up a small set of stairs and down to the second room. Opening the door, she sees it's rather modest but elegant. As she looks closer, she can tell the materials are much more lavish than a simple glance would give away. He closes the door behind them and tosses her bag onto the bed. Hailey feels uncomfortable, realizing she has no idea what he plans to do or what's happening. She can only hope that he's not going to try anything shady.


	4. Mixed Signals

_"Selfish, taking what I want and call it mine_   
_I'm helpless, clinging to a little bit of spine_   
_They rush me, telling me I'm running out of time_   
_They shush me (shhh), walking me across a fragile line_

_I sold my soul to a three-piece_   
_And he told me I was holy_   
_He's got me down on both knees_   
_But it's the devil that's tryna_

_Hold me down, hold me down_   
_Sneaking out the back door,_   
_Make no sound_   
_Knock me out, knock me out_   
_Saying that I want more, this is what I live for_

_Hold me down, hold me down_   
_Throw me in the deep end, watch me drown_   
_Knock me out, knock me out_   
_Saying that I want more, this is what I live for," -Halsey, "Hold Me Down"_

Hailey clutches to her blanket a little tighter, ignoring the angry pulsating of her damaged wrists. She keeps her eye on Sans as he locks the door and moves a chest in front of it. She doesn't like the look of things. He's clearly trying to make it harder for her to escape. She backs up against the wall next to the door, leaning her back against it. She knows how this usually goes... The guy fakes being some kind of nice, does some subtle trick to make it seem like he's just trying to keep them safe and uninterrupted- for a good night's rest, of course, and then he makes his move. Hailey is definitely not down with that. She knows sex hurts- especially if you fight against it. It scars a person to be forced to do anything so serious against their will... Hailey blinks a couple times to refocus herself. As she looks around, she notices him rooting through her bag. He pulls out her favorite night shirt, a dark gray quarter sleeve rayon and spandex shirt with black lace being the only coverage on the back and then the shorts that are similar material- booty shorts with the black lace in a single stripe on each hip. Her face burns as she notices his amusement.

"Ha," Sans breathes, turning around with a gentle, amused smile. "Sure like pretty revealing things, huh, kid?"

"Why are you going through my things?" Hailey asks, her voice barely reaching a conversational volume in her discomfort. 

"Gotta find ya something better to wear than that thing." Sans responds.

He leans against the edge of the bed, crosses his arms over his chest, and takes a long, slow drag from the blunt in his teeth. He exhales the same way, seeming to enjoy every second of it.

"What is that thing?" She asks, not moving from against the wall.

"Anti-anxiety and memory enhancement prescription," Sans answers. "Also anger management."

"Obviously," Hailey huffs, blowing a strand of her bangs out of her eyes. "But what is it made of? It smells too sweet to be weed..."

"Ah, so you're a trouble-maker?" Sans appreciates with a chuckle.

"No!" Hailey protests. 

"Then why'd ya smoke?" Sans prompts, taking another drag.

"Because I wanted to forget!" Hailey snaps, "You're not answering my question."

"Alright, alright, take it easy, kitten." Sans replies, putting his hand up in a placating gesture. "Buttercups, Echo Flowers, a touch of weed- gotta be more sparing cause it doesn't grow well down here- and the skin of a cat's tail to wrap it all up."

"A cat?!" She presses, clearly horrified.

"Yeah, like the water sausage. Ya know, tall green stem with a hot dog lookin' thing on top?" 

"Holy shit, I thought you meant like a legit four legged fluffy purring cat," She sighs in relief. 

"Woah, hell no. We don't do that here, despite what you may have heard." He assures her. 

They're silent for a moment as Hailey wonders what he's about to do next. He had she needed to change clothes, which she agrees since the dress is practically soaked with melted snow, but not if it means she has to change in front of him. As the lack of activity continues, a pit of dread builds in Hailey's stomach as she realizes that's exactly how he's expecting it to go. She's supposed to change while he watches- maybe even getting something out of it or trying something while she's more exposed.

"Toss me your blanket, kid," Sans tells her, extending a bony hand to catch it.

"Why?" Hailey challenges, her suspicions clear on her face.

"First off, I wanna see what Pap was fussing over. Tori does have a knack for prettyin' things up." Sans explains with an irritated sigh. "Second, you're gonna make yourself sick if you stay in that dress. You're forgetting that I saw you layin' in the snow."

"It's not like I meant to, you did something to me..." Hailey accuses.

"Yeah, I took you through a shortcut and made the walk easier on ya." Sans bites back, losing his patience as his left eye starts to glow a bit.

Hailey freezes, almost afraid to breathe. He tosses the spent blunt into a trash can next to the bed, grabs another from his pants pocket, lighting it like before and taking a long pull from it. He huffs out a thick cloud shaped like what Hailey assumes to be a lily, noticing the smoke almost looks blue in this lighting.

"How 'bout ya take a chill pill, like me." He suggests, taking another drag. "I ain't gonna do a damn thing. I'll stay right here, I won't move a muscle. You'll toss me the blanket, and I'll toss your clothes to ya. Sound good?"

"I guess..." Hailey reluctantly agrees. "It's not like I have much of a choice..."

Before he can comment, she takes her blanket from her shoulders and hurls it at him. It lands half covering the left side of his face and his left shoulder. As he pulls it away and drops it on the bed, she suppresses a giggle at the stormy look on his face. It's not a threatening look, more annoyed than anything.

"Very funny, kid." Sans flatly comments, tossing her pajamas at her.

"I thought it was," Hailey says in a quiet voice, "And I have a name."

"Oh, yeah? What's that?" Sans questions.

He watches her stoop down to collect her clothes from the floor and set them on the chest in front of the door as she sits on the edge of it.

"It's Hailey." She responds, stripping the black sandals off first and massaging the feeling back into her toes. "Hailey Frisk."

"Oh, well how do you do, Ms. Hailey?" Sans dramatically mocks. 

"Horribly. I'm doing horribly." Hailey mutters under her breath.

 _'Not that he would care.. Why do you even try? It's not like he's going to change his mind about how he treats you. You're still just his prisoner,'_ The little voice in her head points out as she stands back up and inspects the dress, trying to figure out how to get it off.

"Spin around for me." Sans speaks up, a soft, warm tone to his gruff yet velvety voice.

"What?" Hailey asks, blushing.

"Humor me, Hailey." He requests, taking another puff. "Haven't had a chance to see the full outfit yet."

Hailey takes a deep breath, praying to the universe that he doesn't try anything while she obliges him. She steps forward a couple spaces and slowly turns in a full circle.

Sans chuckles at her with an appreciative look, "That's a turn, not a spin, ya airhead."

She huffs, moving a little quicker this time, which just barely makes the dress flare out.

"Nah, still not a spin. I wanna see ya twirl for me." Sans chides, starting to get to his feet. "Mind if I help ya out there?"

"I guess..." Hailey agrees, a little shaky as he approaches and offers his hand.

She takes it and allows him to lift both their hands above her head. He rotates his wrist at decent pace, leading her as she does a real twirl, making her dress flare out in  all directions until it's hovering in the air above the floor, the fabric swirling like blossoms in a spring zephyr. When he allows her to stop, facing him, she wobbles from the dizziness. Sans holds her hands and helps to steady her. There's a soft look on his bony visage. 

"Ya alright there, kitten?" He asks. "Ya look a little tipsy."

She tilts her head back a bit to look up at him. A curious look on her face as she blushes, looking down and away.

"Heh," He chuckles, letting go of her hands.

He tucks a strand of hair behind her ear and resumes his previous position of leaning against the bed.

"It's pretty. Tori knows her stuff. She based it off the echo flowers." Sans commends. "If ya pass the judgment maybe I'll show ya one sometime."

"I thought you'd seen it before?" Hailey poses, turning back to her clothes as she slips the strap of the dress off her shoulder and lets it fall to the floor.

"Why would I have?" Sans questions, suspicion in his voice.

"Ms. Toriel said it used to be some girl named Hannah's..." She baits. "I assumed you would've seen her in it since you probably took her like you did me."

Hailey slips her pajamas on quickly, unnerved by the silence overtaking the room. When she backs up against the wall again, she sees Sans isn't entirely there if the look on his face is anything to go by. She starts to worry that she overstepped the boundaries, not that they were clear after he started using pet names and being nice to her... Still she feels awful and wishes she could take it back. What she did would be like if he had asked about the ring on her middle finger, which would be a way around asking her about Andrew directly... She's punch someone if they tried to bring him up if he was gone for good. Her knees are shaking, legs threatening to give out from beneath her.

' _Now look what you've done, surface trash! You've either upset him or pissed him off so bad he can't even look at you.'_ The little voice in her head shames her.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything..." Hailey apologizes, anxiously twisting the ring from Andrew on her finger. "Clearly that name meant something to you that you'd rather not talk about... Maybe not even want to remember... I... I- I'm sorry... I fucked up... I apologize..."

"What did that bitch tell you about Hannah?" Sans interrogates, a dark look in his eye sockets with the lack of pupils now that he's in a foul mood.

"Nothing bad, I swear! She just told me that Hannah was actually a nice person, talented and that she liked you and stuff..." Hailey quickly recovers, a little relieved that she has a chance to explain what she meant by her baiting. "Ms. Toriel... She said you liked her back... That's all..."

"That wasn't her place!" Sans snaps, his left eye glowing. "No one knows a fucking thing about my Hannah! She was the only decent thing in this whole damn place! She was an angel!"

Hailey doesn't say anything, afraid she'll only piss him off more. He calms down a bit before snapping his fingers. By the time the sound has rippled out of existence, Sans disappears into thin air. She has no idea where he's gone, but she can guess the the former queen is about to get a lesson in keeping her mouth shut... Her legs carry her over to the edge of the bed and finally give out and she collapses on the floor. She grabs the strap on her backpack and pulls, watching as it thuds on the ground in front of her. She digs out her cellphone and pulls up a picture of her and Andrew. Hailey wishes she was back there with him, just cuddling in her bed and waiting for that little voice to shut the fuck up... At least then she could be with someone who cares about her... Hailey pulls up the music player on her phone to the audio track Andrew helped her create. She never sang the song she wrote for it to accompany in front of him. Now she supposes she'll have to settle for singing it to a memory of him. As the track starts to play, she closes her eyes and hums along, waiting for her cue to start. With her focus elsewhere and his stealth, Sans appears back in the room and sits down on the trunk quietly. He can't help his curiosity.

"Can anyone hear me?

I’m speaking clearly…

Lately I've been dreaming

Of a place far away from here.

But I can’t get there, I fear

My mind’s been screaming

And you should know by now

That I’m no good for you

 

I’ll never let you see 

What’s inside of me

Cause I’m insane

A whole new kinda crazy

You keep sayin’ how ya gonna save me

Even when I tell you to shut the fuck up

I hate you and how you should grow up

But you swear you’ll never give in

You always come back again

Knowing you’ll never win

And I love you for it…

 

Remember how we first met?

You knocked me on my ass

In the first round

In that moment I found

A reason to give you a pass

Cause I didn’t know you yet.

And even after all these years,

You’re still chasin’ off my fears...

 

So I’ll never let you see 

What’s inside of me

Cause I’m insane

A whole new kinda crazy

You keep sayin’ how ya gonna save me

Even when I tell you to shut the fuck up

I hate you and how you should grow up

But you swear you’ll never give in

You always come back again

Knowing you’ll never win

And I love you for it…" Hailey sings, her voice completely broken and off key by the end due to her tears and runny nose as she wipes it on her sleeve.

She's startled by clapping and looks up to see Sans sitting on the trunk in front of the door with another blunt in his mouth. He looks much more peaceful now. Hailey wonders where he went and what he did to mellow out so much in such a short time...

"Bravo, kitten." Sans praises. "I'd say encore, but you need the rest. Tomorrow's the big day. Judgment Day."  


Hailey swallows hard, still trying to reign herself in and too stunned by his sudden appearance, not to mention the horror that he might have been listening the whole time. When she makes no move to get into bed, Sans stands up and crosses over to her. He picks her up bridal-style and lays her on the bed.  She lays there frozen with shock, hand still clutching her phone, while he chuckles and covers her with her galaxy patterned blanket. She shifts uncomfortably, lifting her head off the pillow and laying it back down a few times, trying to find a way to lay that won't cause the pins and ties to dig into her scalp and pull her hair.

"What's the matter, kitten?" Sans prompts, stripping his vest off and undoing his tie.

"Nothing..." Hailey responds in a quiet voice.

"You're uncomfortable, I can tell. We can do this like normals, or I can scare the shit out of you until you start talkin', your choice, cherry cheeks." Sans tells her.

"It's just the pins and shit are making it really uncomfortable and kinda painful..." Hailey explains, sitting up on the bed.

"See? Now we're getting somewhere," Sans mocks, sitting on the edge of the bed behind her. "That wasn't so hard, huh? Just sit still and tell if any of this hurts."

Sans starts carefully sliding pins out of the girls hair and tossing them into an unwound music box with a little ballerina waiting to twirl for whoever will watch. She looks custom made, not generic and factory copied like most. There's little details everywhere that give away that it was specially made. Hailey flinches as he pulls a little too hard on a well woven in clip and he grumbles something about Toriel loving to cause people pain in the most inconspicuous ways. She feels lighter once all the pins are out and starts to feel even better when the braid is unwoven. Soon even the poofy ballerina bun is set loose and her hair comes cascading down her neck and shoulders. She revels in the feeling of his bony fingers running through her hair, further separating the strands. The stimulation on her sensitive scalp causes her hum contentedly as he chuckles at her.

"Alright, Kitty, ya got a brush?" Sans questions, still smoothing out her woven locks.

"Shit, I knew I forgot something," Hailey sighs, rubbing her face in frustration.

"Lucky for you I've got one right here." Sans says in a quiet, almost sweet way.

He opens the drawer of the nightstand and pulls out a very delicate-looking brush with intricate designs. It looks like something from a fairy tale. It's a beautiful sky blue with silver and gold designs. She doesn't get much of a look at it before he starts to run it through her hair.

"You're practically purring," Sans teases with a chuckle.

"You're too good at this," Hailey replies, half asleep.

She pulls her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around her legs and resting her chin on them.

"Why do you have a brush anyway?" She wonders aloud.

"It wasn't always mine... It was..." Sans hesitates with a huffing sigh. "It used to be Hannah's..."

"Oh..." Is all Hailey can think to say without risking another potential fuck up.

He finishes with her hair, putting the brush away as if he were handling a newborn baby and not an inanimate object that's practically an antique. He runs a hand through Hailey's dark brown hair once more and tucks her in again.

"Go to sleep, Frisk." Sans orders in gentle voice, turning the light off and disappearing into thin air once more.


	5. Judgment Day

TRIGGER WARNING!!!!! CONTAINS SELF HARM AND MENTIONS OF RAPE. READ AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION.

“ She said she wants to end it all

When she's all alone in her room

She cries

The way she feels inside

Is too much for her

 

When all you’ve got is these four walls

It's not that hard to feel so small

Or even exist at all

 

How come no one heard her when she said

 

Maybe I'm better off dead

If I was

Would it finally be enough

To shut out all the voices in my head?

Maybe I'm better off dead

Did you hear a word

Hear a word I said?

This is not where I belong

Maybe you'll miss me when I'm gone

 

She doesn't know she's beautiful

Cuz no one’s ever told her so

The demons that she hides

Are all she knows

Maybe she could fall in love

With someone in her life

She could trust

And tell her she's enough”- Sleeping with Sirens, “When I’m Gone”

Hailey awakens to the sound of a music box playing and light pouring into the room before the overhead light comes on. She blinks away the sleep, rubs her face and pulls herself to a sitting position. She lazily bends her knees, draping her arms around them, and yawns, looking to see Sans hanging up a violet gown with a ribbon woven corset top on the curtain rod above the window. She smiles sleepily at him as he crosses to the bed and sits on the edge with his signature sweet smelling blunt. He looks even more mellow than last night.

 

“Mornin’, Kitten.” Sans greets with a lazy half-smile. “You sleep well?”

 

Hailey thinks back to life on the surface and realizes an uncomfortable truth. In all her years, she’s never slept as well at home compared to the restful night’s sleep she’s gotten as the captive of a magical, blunt- smoking mob boss that’s a skeleton living under a mountain. The part that makes her eyes fill with guilty tears is how even Andrew, her closest and dearest friend, has never made her feel as comfortable and relaxed as she has in the minimal interactions she’s had with the leader of the Underquell. 

 

“Yeah…” Hailey answers, her voice cracking. “Actually, I’ve slept better here than I ever have on the surface…”

 

“Your life up there musta been pretty shitty if you’re getting this misty-eyed over a good night’s sleep,” Sans comments, trying to hide his concern by taking another hit from his blunt.

 

‘ _ Don’t you dare tell him a goddamn thing about the surface, _ ’ The little voice in her head snaps. ‘ _ He doesn’t give a fuck about you. He just wants to use you and then kill you because you’re a pathetic little bitch.’ _

 

“You don’t know that…” Hailey breathes, closer to tears now that the voice is back.

 

She knows what’s going to happen. Every time  _ she _ speaks up, it always ends the same way.

 

“No, I don’t,” Sans concedes, assuming she’s talking to him. “But the way you talk suggests that’s the way it was.”

 

Hailey nods and then cringes as the voice speaks up, ‘ _ What the fuck did I just tell you? Don’t answer him! He’s baiting you, dumbass! Do you wanna be raped? Again? Your whiny bitch routine shows them just how weak you are and tells him he can do anything he wants. So shut the fuck up!’ _

 

“Ya doin’ alright there, Frisk?” Sans questions.

 

“Can’t… I… I-I-I can’t… I c-can’t talk about it…” Hailey cries, curling into a ball. 

 

“Can’t talk about what? How you’re doing?” Sans presses, confused by her response.

 

‘ _ Quit crying, you little shit. You’re so useless! You can’t even follow simple instructions. How are you supposed to survive if you’ll cater to anyone who pretends to be nice to you?’ _ The voice speaks up.

 

“I’m… not… n-not allowed…” Hailey tells him, her voice broken up and strained. “J-just.. Stop…”

 

“Says who?” Sans demands, incredulous.

 

‘ _ No! Don’t you even fucking dare tell him about me! He’s just trying to find something wrong with you to build his case to kill us! I’m trying to help.’  _ The voice threatens.

 

“I’m gettin’ tired of this, Frisk. I can’t do shit if you don’t say somethin’.” Sans warns.

 

“Just… Just go! G-go away! P-p-please…” Hailey sobs, refusing to look at him. “Please, leave me alone!”

 

“Alright, I get it.” Sans sighs, his irritation audible. “I’ll step out and give you a moment. Why don’t ya try and get dressed? We need to leave soon. Wouldn’t wanna be late for your own fate, would ya?”

 

Hailey doesn’t answer, tightening her grip on her legs as she continues to cry. Sans sighs once more, taking a particularly long drag from his half-spent blunt. He snaps his fingers and just like that, he’s gone.

 

‘ _ I never thought I’d say this, but good job. That wasn’t too bad for a whiny little bitch.’  _ The voice flatly comments.

 

“If I do it, will you shut the fuck up and leave me alone?” Hailey sniffles in a quiet voice as she sits up and rubs the tears from her eyes.

 

‘ _ Yes. Oh fuck yes. You need to do it, you fucking waste of space!’  _ The voice responds, chuckling darkly. ‘ _ What are you gonna use this time? A shard of glass? A pencil? A pocket knife?’ _

 

“I don’t know…” Hailey breathes, getting out of bed and looking around.

 

There’s two nightstands on either side of the bed, a dresser on the opposite wall, a door to a closet a little ways from the dresser, and a desk with a chair a little ways from the corner half-way in front of the window as if Sans wanted to be able to watch for anything outside his room, but still be free of distraction. Hailey notices a solid, silvery handle peeking out of a cubby on the desk. She takes a deep breath and exhales, stripping off her pjs and approaching the desk.

 

‘ _ Like that’ll do anything. It’s just a fucking letter opener. They’re blunt as hell.’  _ The voice criticizes, clearly not satisfied.

 

“If I have to do this I’m gonna do it my way,” Hailey mutters, taking the letter opener in her right hand. “Besides, it’s easier to replace than rooting through his stuff…”

 

‘ _ Sneaky. I approve.’  _ The voice reluctantly agrees.

 

Hailey takes a deep breath and sets her jaw. She takes the blunt tool and presses hard against her abdomen below her belly button. She gasps in shock in pain as she presses a little deeper, surprised by the sharpness of the thing- he must not use it as an ordinary letter opener… Or she guesses that she might not even know how sharp one is since she’s never seen a real one up close before. Part of that is probably because of this very incident… 

 

“Aaaahh! Fuuuuck!” Hailey nearly screams, dropping the letter opener on the floor.

The end result is a cut that is nearly a half an inch deep and about four to six inches long, horizontally crossing her body. Sans forces the door open, shoving the trunk in front of it as well, likely in too much of a panic to consider ‘taking a shortcut.’ 

 

“Jeez, Frisk, what the hell happened?!” Sans asks, seeing her standing with her back to him and fists clenched.

 

“F-f-fuck…” Hailey stammers, debating on whether to kick the letter opener away.

 

‘ _ Obviously not! What are you stupid? If you kick it away now, he’ll notice and use it one on you! Tell him to fuck off! It’s your body you do what you want. _ ’ The voice lectures.

 

“Y-you f-f-fuck off!” Hailey growls, not in the mood to deal with the voice as she presses her fists to her temple. “I-I’ve had e-enough of your b-b-bullshit…”

 

“You better not be talkin’ to me, Pipsqueak.” Sans warns her, looking her over carefully until his gaze rests on the letter opener at her feet. 

 

“No! I’m… I-I-I… I’m sorry! I’m so, so sorry Mr. Sans!” Hailey apologizes, looking horribly frightened as she turns around to face him. “S-she doesn’t l-l-like me…”

 

“Who doesn’t like you?” Sans questions, his suspicions growing.

 

“She’s not h-here per say, but well she’s in me…” Hailey attempts to explain, flinching at the pain exuding from her abdomen as it keeps bleeding.

 

Hailey starts to sway, dropping her hands to try to steady herself on something, finding herself levitating. Her head is like a cloud right now and she can’t really think straight. She assumes she’s either dead or something really freaky is happening. Before she can further analyze the situation, she finds herself lying on her back on the bed, staring up at the canopy.

 

“I hate to burst your bubble there, girlie, but I’m pretty sure ya ain’t a letter.” Sans comments, summoning a first aid kit from the nightstand next to the bed. “Did this so called ‘she’ tell you to do this?”

 

Sans decides to play along until he gets a real good look at her during her Judgment. For now, he needs to get her bandaged up- again- so that she makes it to her Judgment. Just as he starts to pull out the cotton pads and alcohol rub, there’s a knock on the door. 

 

“Brother, it’s time to take the Hailey Human in for Judgment.” Papyrus alerts him, stopping in his tracks and shielding her mostly naked body from his eye sockets. “Sans, what did you do to the human?!”

 

“I didn’t do a damn thing, Paps.” Sans snaps, carefully cleaning the wound as she flinches against his hold.

  
Nothing about this situation is comfortable for any of them. Hailey wishes she could dissolve into thin air. It’s so awkward and tense. And apparently, Sans has a history of violence. Hailey’s not sure she’ll survive this so called ‘Judgment’ if he’s the one in charge. But maybe that’s the point…

 

‘ _ I told you he just wanted to use you and off you after. Why wouldn’t he? Humans are the scourge of the Earth and you are one. It’s no wonder he wants you dead. You’re not even strong enough to argue against a voice in your head. _ ’ The voice mocks.

 

“Shut the fuck up!” Hailey hisses under her breath.

 

“She’s almost naked and bleeding, Sans!” Papyrus argues, still refusing to look as he flushes. “You swore you wouldn’t try to kill them or even torture them before their Judgment! You know how King Asgore hates it when you do that!”

 

“For fuck’s sake, Papyrus!” Sans shouts, obviously angered by the accusation. “I didn’t do it. I stepped out of the room and she fucked herself up with a letter opener. Just look on the damn floor next to the bed.”

 

“How do I know you didn’t put that there?” Papyrus argues as he looks to the letter opener.

 

“Because he didn’t! I did!” Hailey protests, forcing herself to sit up and holding her wound with one hand. “Just look at me…”

 

Both brothers are stunned into silence. They both approach her and look her over. Sure enough, if they actually pay attention, they can see numerous pale white and pinkish scars adorning her chest, abdomen, hips and thighs. The ones on her chest look like claw marks, did she scratch herself until she bled…?

 

“It’s not the first time.” Hailey states, her tone somber and quiet. “And it’s probably not the last time…”

 

“Human, why do you have those battle scars? Don’t you have anything to protect you in fights?” Papyrus questions as she lays back down.

 

“Because these fights are against her…” Hailey confesses, staring up at the ceiling. “In the end, she always wins. I’m sure she cheats but it doesn’t matter… I’ll never win.”

 

“Who is she?” Sans presses as Papyrus turns his back to give her some privacy.

 

“I don’t know… She’s been with me for as long as I can remember.” Hailey answers, looking towards Papyrus. “You don’t have to look away. I’m used to this.”

 

“Used to what?” Papyrus asks, hesitantly turning back around.

 

Sans stays quiet, hoping Papyrus has better luck getting answers out of her. He pulls out some butterfly bandages and gently presses the edges of the slit flesh back together. Hailey hisses under his bony hand. 

 

“Being exposed and vulnerable, being used.” Hailey languidly elaborates. “I’ve learned not to fight it so much. The more I fight, the more it usually hurts…” 

 

“What do you mean by being used?” Papyrus prompts, looking quite confused.

 

Hailey refuses to answer, closing her eyes and tensing as Sans gently presses gauze against her wound.

 

“I’m sorry, Hailey.” Sans murmurs, using his free hand to rub her arm. 

 

Papyrus watches his brother. Something about Sans has changed since Hailey’s been around. He’s not his usual kind of angry and sulky. Papyrus watches the older skeleton gently tape the gauze in place.

 

“Can you sit up?” Sans asks, offering her a hand.

 

She opens her eyes, hesitates, and takes his hand. Moving slowly, cautiously, like a deer that knows there’s a threat near, she gets up off the bed. She stands on shaky legs, looking dizzy and a bit disoriented.

 

“You okay there, Hun?” Sans inquires.

 

“Yeah…” Hailey responds, flushing as she pulls her hand back.

 

“You want some help gettin’ dressed?” 

 

“I guess… It looks kinda convoluted…” She responds, looking as the ribbon crisscrossing the corset’s backing as Papyrus brings it over.

 

“Heh. That’s Tori for ya.” Sans comments, taking the dress from the hanger and untying the ribbon. “Here, slip it on and I’ll tie ya up.”

 

Hailey obeys and shimmies her way into the dress. It ends up taking a half hour for them to help her get ready. Much to Sans’ irritation and concern, Hailey doesn’t say anything more about the mysterious being that persuades her to cut herself open. They eat a quick breakfast and head out the door. Hailey finds herself on the ground, nearly passed out as Sans pulls his little shortcut stunt again. This time, he seems more concerned. He’s the first to her side, handling her delicately as if she were a flower and not a human having a fainting spell.

 

“Hey, whoa, you okay, Hailey?” Sans questions, helping her to her feet.

 

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just a little light headed…” Hailey answers quietly.

 

She’s quick to pull away as she notices everyone staring and whispering. Sans almost looks hurt by her actions. She brushes it off as a side effect of her lightheadedness. 

 

“Where are we?” Hailey asks in a quiet voice.

 

“The Capitol.” Papyrus answers. “We’re just outside the Castle. King Asgore is waiting for us. Our associates are waiting as well. And…”

 

Papyrus looks discouraged by whatever he’s hesitating to say. Hailey feels bad, but she needs to know what’s waiting for her.

 

“And?” Hailey gently prompts, staying between Sans and Papyrus as they enter the castle.

 

“The Royal Guard.” Papyrus mutters.

 

“Is there something wrong with the Royal Guard?” 

 

“Yes! The Great Papyrus is not a part of it!” Papyrus huffs, crossing his bony arms over his chest.

 

“Paps is still sore that Undyne wouldn’t let him join the guard when he’s helped me and the fellas catch more humans than anyone else in this godforsaken mountain.” Sans explains, taking a hit off his blunt as they continue walking. “Undyne’s the head of the guard, trained by the King himself. She’s a real badass. Out of the six humans that have fallen down here, the guard’s only caught two of them. The first was practically a freebie considering he used to be Asgore’s adopted son- before he became a homicidal maniac.”

 

Hailey feels a bit better about her odds of making a run for it. But as she considers Sans’ powers and the fact that Papyrus probably has them too, not to mention the ridiculous dress they forced on her, she realizes her odds of getting the hell out dodge are still extremely low… Their journey to the Judgment Hall as Papyrus calls it, seems to go at a snail’s pace and Hailey find herself spacing out along the way. She’s startled back to the present when she bumps into Sans’ back. Hailey awkwardly rights herself with a fierce blush and looks down at the floor.

 

“Caught another one?” A booming voice inquires.

“Yes, Your Majesty.” Sans begrudgingly answers. “Found her in the ruins, injured.”

 

“She was alone then?” The voice clarifies.

 

Hailey looks up to see a goat person similar to Toriel, but this one’s more masculine and looks to have facial hair.

 

“What?” Hailey questions before Sans can answer. “No! There was a lady there! Her name was Toriel…”

 

“Dammit, Hailey!” Sans scolds under his breath. “Keep your fuckin’ mouth shut!”

 

“My wife was there?” The goat man questions.

 

“She’s always been there, we’ve been over this before, Your Majesty.” Sans reminds him. “She left years ago cause she didn’t believe in our plans to get the hell outta here.” 

 

“Oh…” The goat man responds, looking rather deflated. “That’s right…”

 

“With your permission, I would like to proceed with the judgment of the 8th fallen human.” Sans requests, taking a drag off his blunt.

 

“Permission granted.” King Asgore consents.

 

Hailey looks around the Judgment Hall. The Royal Guard is to her left and the Underquell is to her right. The guard is made up of some sort of humanoid fish and mostly dogs. The Underquell is what one might describe as a ragtag team of misfits. There’s some sort of half fish half horse flexing, a mermaid like creature, a turtle that looks like it was physically altered into a mop bucket, a little clay pot thing with lava bubbling in it, a frog creature, an evil looking animate carrot, and various other misfit monsters. The one that looks the most… normal… to Hailey anyway, is a ghost wearing a fedora and bow tie. Sans takes a few steps away from her with Papyrus going to his side. When he turns around that single effervescent blue eye is staring right through her, but he doesn’t look angry or anything. In fact, he looks completely tranquil. His eye sockets open wider and suddenly Hailey’s life is flashing before her eyes.

 

All the times she was beaten and neglected as a small child, being bullied in school, receiving honors for academic achievement, being raped by nearly every boyfriend and girlfriend she’s ever had whether roofied or not, all the times she’s cut herself open and begged for an end, and all the times Andrew has pleaded and patched her up, wishing she would stop and just get some help. Everything leading up to this exact moment is laid out in front of her and Sans. 

 

At the end of it, Sans is jolted out of his trance. He’s breathing heavy as he manages to still take a hit off his nearly spent blunt. He looks over her. She can feeling the actual Judgment he’s vacillating on giving her. She can read on his bony features that he should condemn her to death, and that it’s probably what she wants based off her past, but that the evidence- her history- all points to being an innocent, so much so that she was used and abused for being too irreproachable. 

 

“Well, Sans, have you reached a verdict?” King Asgore prompts from his throne at the end of the hall.

 

Sans looks her in the eye with sorrow, love, mercy and compassion. Hailey shakes her head with tears in her eyes. She knows what he’s going to deliver as the verdict and she doesn’t want it. She thought she didn’t want to die but if her fate is to be a captive the rest of her life, just like on the surface, she’d rather die.

 

“She’s clean. One hundred percent pure as a snowflake that hasn’t hit the ground.” Sans informs the King, letting the little turtle mop bucket take his spent blunt as he lights a new one.

 

Hailey’s heart sinks as her eyes burn. The tears spill down her face as she drops to her knees and buries her face in her hands.

 

_ ‘Congrats, Hailey. You’re now the private property  of a literal monster. And I’ll be here for the rest of our life.’  _ The voice purrs maniacally in her head.  _ ‘Ready for round two of the same old shit?’ _

 

“No…” She sobs. “No… No, no! Not again…”

 

“I’ve never seen a human so distraught about being fated to live.” King Asgore remarks, looking just as confused as everyone else.

 

“She ain’t had it easy like some of the others that have fallen down here. She’s broken.” Sans informs them, kneeling next to Hailey. “Come on, Kitten, let’s get ya back to Snowdin.”

 

“Sans, you do realize she’s in your care now.” The King reminds him. “At least until she has been fully integrated into the Underground.”

 

“Yes, Your Majesty. I’ll take care of her.” Sans agrees, helping Hailey to her feet and keeping a hold on her as they leave with Papyrus right behind them.

 

Sans never knows what to expect when he Judges each Human. Each one has been unique in some way, but they always slipped up at some point. The only exception before now was Hannah. Sans can’t help but wonder if this is some cruel joke that universe is playing on him. It gives him his sweet Hannah only to rip her away by drowning her and now giving him Hailey, a girl who’s been beaten down and taken advantage of by nearly everyone she’s ever met and just needs someone to piece her back together and show her some affection and compassion. A girl who, despite all the evidence to the contrary, is still fated to die because she never stops trying to end herself…

  
_ ‘Fate’s a bitch,’  _ Sans grumbles internally as he subtly nuzzles Hailey while she clings to him.


End file.
